NOTE: Canada no longer requires full vaccination or use of ArriveCAN (that said, using the app may speed your way through a border crossing).
Visiting Canada from Maine is easy if you’re fully vaccinated against COVID-19. But it does require preparation in advance. Canada allows online registration, providing information about travels, and uploading documents.
During a recent trip to Lubec, Maine, I wanted to drive over the Franklin D. Roosevelt Bridge and visit Campobello Island, N.B., Canada. To do so, I had to set up an ArriveCAN account and register my trip.
For the most part, creating and registering an account and registering is easy. The comprehensive site guides you through the program. But you can’t complete the trip registration process without answering every question. And it’s primarily designed for those arriving by boat or plane, and it assumes a multi-day stay.
Using ArriveCAN for a day trip
ArriveCan requires providing an exact time of arrival in Canada: hour and minute. Now, this is easy if on scheduled transportation. But it may be difficult if you’re arriving by car (traffic, construction, rest stops, etc.). So I just guestimated and moved on to the next section, hoping for the best.
Providing an address for my time in Canada stumped me since I only planned to spend a few hours on Campobello. So I called the 800 number, and after listening to a long message, I reached a live person and asked her how to proceed. She recommended using the address for Roosevelt-Campobello International Park. That worked. After uploading my passport and vaccination card photos, I received a Q.R. code and confirmed via email.
I arrived at the border about a half-hour earlier than I’d guestimated. (Note: Do wear a mask during entry.) The border agent took my passport and my dog’s rabies vaccination certificate. Then she scanned the passport and said: “You’ve filled out ArriveCan, so you’re good to go.” She didn’t mention anything about my early arrival. She handed me back the passport and certificate, and we drove off to explore the island.
Visiting Canada from Maine: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec provinces
Campobello isn’t the only easy access to Canada from Maine, which borders New Brunswick and Quebec and has ferry access to Nova Scotia. That makes it easy to create a two-nation vacation.
• Campobello has seasonal ferry access to mainland New Brunswick via Deer Island, making it possible to loop from Lubec and return via Calais or another border.
• You can take The Cat ferry to Nova Scotia and loop back to the U.S. via New Brunswick (or vice versa).
• Maine’s Aroostook County borders both New Brunswick and Quebec.
When I took The Cat ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, a few months later, I updated my ArriveCAN account with that trip’s info within 72 hours of boarding.
